School and building security has become an increasing concern. School officials, parents and the public at large engage in discussions and debates about ways of preventing violent tragedies at schools, including those perpetrated by intruders having firearms. Schools take proactive measures to protect the safety of students and staff. Schools have safety and security plans, and the actions taken during any type of emergency situation depend on the specifics of the situation. For example, a school may evacuate, lock down or initiate another response, according to the nature of the threat.
Ensuring that unauthorized persons do not enter the building can be challenging, since staff, volunteers, vendors and others may need to enter a building during and outside normal hours. Many schools use high security door locks can prevent unwanted visitors in the school. However, if someone else gets a key or code for the door locks, the lock must be changed. Other strategies employ video and/or audio surveillance in combination with dock locks controlled from the interior of the school or building. A visitor must identify himself or herself to an authorized person inside the school, who then can unlock the door manually or electronically. These strategies are effective for preventing unauthorized access from the exterior of the building but generally have not been used, and may be impractical, for individual classroom doors inside the school. Some have even suggested providing firearms to security officers and/or teachers inside school, which shows the level of concern about school shootings and the need for additional security strategies.
In many jurisdictions, regulations regarding fire safety require that doors in schools classrooms are outward-opening doors, in that the door swings into the hallway rather than into the classroom when it is opened. This facilitates rapid exit from the classroom if there is a fire. Panicked students may rush a door seeking escape, and a large huddled, panicked group could prevent a door from opening inwardly. Other school regulations prohibit the present of locks on classroom doors, since the ability to lock a classroom from the inside creates different safety and security concerns; if a misbehaving or troubled student were able to lock a classroom from the inside, there is a risk that other students or faculty could be in danger.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,397,348 discloses a binding strap device for securing cargo. It discloses several tightening mechanisms for a binding strap. US Publication No. 20070122247 discloses a cargo tightener and strap collector, and it also discloses a tightening mechanism. US Publication No. 20040253073 discloses a device for removably supporting a motorcycle on a vehicle for transportation by a strap assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,811 discloses a tie-down that includes two straps with hooks secured to their ends, the other end of a first strap being workable with a buckle to provide tension.